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What exactly are labor contractions?

Contractions are your body's means of pushing your baby down the birth canal and out into the world. (Sure they hurt, but they're totally worth it.)

What causes them?

A mysterious combination of factors work together to start your contractions. The complicated process begins with a series of chemical messages from your baby's brain that tell your body this kid is ready to rock and roll. These messages stimulate a hormonal chain reaction in your body, releasing prostaglandins and oxytocin, the substances that trigger contractions and get the show on the road.

What you need to know about them:

There are three kinds of contractions: practice, false, and the real thing. Practice contractions (Braxton Hicks contractions) can occur any time after the middle of your pregnancy (or not at all). A few false labor signs commonly lead up to the real thing, and practice contractions might help to get the cervix ripe — but they don't actually cause cervical dilation or effacement. The contractions of false labor are irregular and usually stop if you change positions. The contractions of real labor are identifiable because they:

may be accompanied by a rupture of your membranes (commonly referred to as your "water breaking"). This could also happen before labor begins, or not at all until your practitioner does it for you.

What you can do about them:

Your practitioner has likely told you when to call if you think you're in labor (when contractions are five to seven minutes apart, for instance). If you're not sure that you're in real labor — but the contractions are coming pretty regularly — call anyway. Don't feel guilty about waking him or her in the middle of the night — you won't be the first or the last. You'll answer a few questions, not only to provide information, but also to let your practitioner assess your condition by the tone of your voice. So be honest about how you're feeling; now's not the time to be polite or to keep a stiff upper lip. If you're really hurting, say so. And if you're not in much pain, say that — or you could end up making a trip to the hospital for nothing.

Be sure to call your practitioner in the following instances. If you can't reach your practitioner, head for the hospital if:

Contractions are increasingly strong but your due date is still weeks away (preterm labor).

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